EFFECT OF POLARITY

ON GTAW OF ALUMINIUM
By ERIN ANDERSON Welding Technology Program
INTRODUCTION
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) can be performed using three different polarity types: Direct Current Electrode Negative (DCEN), Direct Current Electrode
Positive (DCEP), and Alternating Current (AC). A brief description of each polarity type is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Characteristics of Weld Current Polarities

Direct Current Electrode Negative Alternating Current Direct Current Electrode Positive
DCEN “Straight Polarity” “AC” DCEP “Reverse Polarity”
Heat Balance 70% on part / 30% on tungsten 50% on part / 50% on tungsten * 30% on part / 70% on tungsten
Penetration Deep Medium * Very shallow
Cleaning action None Yes, on EP portion of AC cycle * Yes, continuous
Flow of electrons From tungsten to part Both directions From part to tungsten
Metals commonly used on Steel, Stainless Steel, Titanium, Nickel Aluminum, Magnesium Very thin metal
* AC wave can be balanced on some machines to provide more or less penetration and cleaning action. For this experiment a 50/50 balance was used.

Aluminum alloys form a thin oxide layer on their surface. This oxide layer melts at a very high temperature and makes welding of aluminum difficult. Also, aluminum
alloys have very high thermal conductivity, which makes achieving good weld penetration difficult. Correct usage of weld current polarity can solve both of these
problems. The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of using each polarity type to weld aluminum.

EXPERIMENT
Three .187” thick 6061 aluminum coupons with mill finish were gas tungsten arc welded using DCEN, DCEP and AC polarities. The original intent was to develop a
set of parameters that could be used for all three polarities. However it proved very difficult to develop a single set of parameters that would work for all cases.
Parameters were developed which provided a stable arc using DCEN and AC and a 1/8 inch diameter tungsten. When the DCEP sample was welded with these
parameters the tungsten severely overheated. It literally exploded sending molten tungsten in all directions and burning off approximately ½ inch of tungsten length.
Amperage for the DCEP sample was reduced incrementally until it did not explode during the test. Amperage was reduced from 130 amps to only 60 amps. Welds
were made using 130 amps for the DCEN samples and AC samples and 60 amps for the DCEP sample. All other parameters except for amperage and polarity were
the same for each weld. The weld faces and tungsten tip were then photographed. The welds were sectioned through their center and metallographically inspected.
Weld penetration was measured.

RESULTS
The results of the experiment are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Polarity Experiment Results

DCEN AC (50%) DCEP

Weld Faces
The effect of polarity on level of cleaning can be
seen by examining the weld faces. The level of
cleaning can be determined by measuring the size
of the white frosted area around the weld.
DCEN – No cleaning observed
AC - .500 inch diameter cleaned area
DCEP - .625 inch diameter cleaned area

Weld Cross Sections

The effect of polarity on weld penetration can be
seen in the cross sections of each weld.
DCEN - .135 in. of penetration
AC - .055 in. of penetration
DCEP - .025 in. of penetration

Tungsten Electrodes
The effect of polarity on the tungsten electrode
can be seen by visually examining the tungsten
tip.
DCEN – No melting
AC – Slight melting at very tip of tungsten point.
DCEP - Extensive melting evidenced by balling up
of the tungsten tip (at only 60 amps).

CONCLUSIONS
Weld polarity has a profound effect on the characteristics of a GTAW weld in aluminum. While DCEN polarity provides excellent weld penetration, the lack of
cleaning action results in heavily oxidized welds with poor flow and fusion. While DCEP polarity provides excellent cleaning action, the weld penetration is extremely
shallow. Also, DCEP polarity causes excessive heating of the tungsten electrode. AC polarity is the preferred polarity for GTAW of aluminum alloys. AC polarity
provides a balance of weld penetration, cleaning action and tungsten heating.